The Operating Theater (place)

Brian Dewan is probably best known in indie rock circles as a visual artist and sometime-member of the Music Tapes and Neutral Milk Hotel, but he's been been creating odd little folk (for lack of a better word) songs for upwards of a decade in his Brooklyn studio. His songs have a offbeat, lo-fi vibe similar to his Elephant 6 cohorts, but Dewan's deadpan lyrics and delivery set this record in a category of its own; his zither and autoharp-backed songs manage to twist squishy anatomical details ("The Human Heart," "Cadavers") and psychological case-study ("Loathsome Idols") into something genuinely tuneful and sweet. Dewan's lyrical quirks and old-timey instrumentation might cause some listeners to write this off as a mere novelty record, but to do that would do a disservice to its honesty (however off-kilter) and driving energy. The Operating Theater's weirdnesses never get in the way of its large heart.